Live From Lowes: Denny Hamlin, JR Motorsports Snarl As Kyle Busch Wins Again

Geoffrey Miller is in Concord, N.C. for Sunday's Sprint Cup Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He'll aim to eat as many elephant ears as possible while blogging away "Live from Lowe's" throughout Memorial Day weekend.

What a night it was here Saturday in Concord, N.C.

Kyle Busch scored the victory in one of the most entertaining Nationwide Series races at Lowe's Motor Speedway I've seen. Busch's ninth total NASCAR win in 2008, though, wasn't exactly the top memory.

Instead, it was Denny Hamlin taking on two-thirds of the JR Motorsports contingent present for the event.

You can read more into at the Associated Press piece, but the gist of the happenings was that Brad Keselowski gave Hamlin a little tap under the yellow from behind to let Hamlin know he was there, Hamlin slowed and swerved into Keselowski's left front fender bending it in, and then Dale Earnhardt Jr. then stood up for the car he owns (Keselowski) and bumped Hamlin in the door.

Busch ran first with those three behind him and appeared to be in danger of getting beat in the final two-lap green flag finish until a caution came out on the final lap before the teams could enter turn three. Instead, he held on.

When the cars came to a stop after the race on pit road, there was plenty of pushing and shoving and NASCAR officials trying to maintain order. It was as close to an all-out brawl as you can get, but tempers evantually settled, allowing for some tremendous quotes.

Said Hamlin, referring to Keselowski's actions:

"You throw a rock, I'm going to throw a concrete block back," Hamlin said.

Keselowski then said:

"We raced hard and that's what racing is," Keselowski said. "He doesn't like when guys race him hard? Well, that's the sport and that's what I do."

And finally, the owner-minded Earnhardt Jr. wasn't too pleased.

"Brad bumped him in the back just a little bit under caution, and Denny knocked the fender off his car," Earnhardt said. "I'm not happy about that, but it hurt Brad's chances of having a good run. It just tore his fender up. I mean, it wasn't no excuse in it."

To make matters worse? Keselowski and Hamlin had to sit in the media center, one seat apart from one another to be interviewed. Tense moments, I'd say, as a NASCAR official stood guard in case anything broke out.

Both teams were called to the NASCAR hauler after completion of the media obligations, and if I were NASCAR, I'd be handing significant penalties in the form "Hey, Great Job!" and plenty of slaps on the back to both teams.

Was Hamlin an idiot for running into Keselowski? You bet. Did Keselowski have the intent of wrecking Hamlin on the restart? Probably. Do NASCAR fans love this stuff -- the characters and the controversy?

For sure.

Needless to say, if Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 can provide half the late-race drama this one did (can you imagine what happens if Hamlin and Busch can race for the win provided there was no race-ending yellow?) it's going to be a fantastic race.

Saturday night was right for fighting, and I hope Sunday is, too.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

5-25-2008 @ 11:18AM

tanning lotion said...

I really hate to see Kyle Busch winning anything.

5-25-2008 @ 11:26AM

Bernie said...

Denny seems determined to take some of the heat off of Kyle Busch. I think you have a new group of ANTI Denny fans Hamlin. It's bound to happen when you tangle with Nascar's golden boy.

5-25-2008 @ 11:32AM

AuuuuuuuuuuH! Winning is so boring!

5-25-2008 @ 11:36AM

CJ said...

I have several takes on this. First off, the two idiot Gibbs drivers need to be put in their place, and Joe Gibbs better get on it before some pissed off drivers cold cock them or drive them strait into a wall, and then Gibbs will be pissed when the tore up race cars start to pile up! Now, originally i took Brad Keselowski side even though i cant stand him and dont think he's a very good race car driver, and he's too overconfident and has been too overhyped, and he looks like a damn fish, but when he started it by FIRST running into the back of Hamlin, i think he shouldnt be too suprised by what happened. I think Dale Jr has every right to be pissed at Denny, but he also needs to be chewing Brad's rearend too! I can know see whay Tony wants to get out of the Gibbs mess, cause people thought he was a bad apple, look at the other two idiots trying to piss everyone off in Busch and Hamlin!

5-25-2008 @ 11:48AM

lbuckelew said...

You got that right DJ. However Hamlin is a smart ass. He has a rotten attitude. He is the only one in the race track and don't dare get near him or you'll regret it just like Brad did. Nascar needs to get their head out of the sand and hit Hamlin in his wallet like they do the other drivers, not just two laps. what a crock. Why are all the cup drivers racing in the Nationwide race anyway. Isn't that like a highschooler going back to kindergarten. I would like to see a Nationwide driver win for a change not the cup drivers. Why do they want to win the Nationwide championship, Is it because they can't win the cup championship?

5-25-2008 @ 12:37PM

C.J what did Kyle Busch do this time to set you off WIN? Like Brad K. said it's racing and that's what teir there to do.. I agree, it would be nice to see a NW driver win, but it is Nascar's call not the drivers. KYLE BUSCH RULES!!!

5-25-2008 @ 2:09PM

Kim said...

I have wondered, and asked, and tried to understand for quite some time now, why it is that the long-time, successful Cup drivers are permitted in the Nationwide Series races. I have never been able to determine the answer. It's like many use it as a practice session for Cup since they don't run the entire season in the Nationwide Series, just a few races. It is unfair (yea, I know life is unfair), to the Nationwide Series Drivers to have Cup drivers meander into their series and take the wins away from them. There should be a rule against how long a veteran driver of the Cup series should be allowed to drive in the Nationwide Series races. And under no circumstances should the Cup drivers be permitted to run in their chase for the championship. This is their livelihood. This is of course, JMO.

On the Denny thing....why should anyone be surprised? The guy's an ass. Frankly, I don't understand why everyone hates Busch so much. I can't STAND Denny Hamlin! In this case however, ALL parties involved were at fault so unless all three parties are going to be penalized, then the incident should be over, in my opinion.

Kim

5-25-2008 @ 7:21PM

Rod said...

Another race, another no show from Jeff Gordon. He needs to either retire, or get rid of his crew chief, or something. His pathetic showings anymore should not only be an embarressment to him, but i know are very frustrating to his longtime fans. If he's going to be just a driver who goes in circles, and not compete, i wish he'd just give it up. We all get older and lose a step, but i'd love to see one of my hero's go out on top for once, instead of hanging on, being an embarressment, just to make more money.

5-25-2008 @ 7:24PM

Don Emerson said...

I agree Kim, it's a shame the way the cup drivers have ruined the Nationwide series. And since they run the Cot in the cup series, they can't claim to pick up track info by running the old style car in NW. You can't blame the drivers though, it's the sponsors who push them to drive NW. It's only natural to want more bang for your buck, thus the big names in the NW series. About the only thing Nascar could do is put a limit on the number of cup drivers allowed in each NW race, and I don't see that happening anytime soon. As for Hamlin, he's always been a jerk and a prissy azz cry baby. If things aren't going his way, you can look for him to take it out on another driver before the race is over. But alas, Gibbs is one of the powers that be, so you can forget Nascar giving Hamlin anything more than a slap on the wrist. Where are the Allison brothers, or Cale Yarbrough when you need them. Works for me.....

5-25-2008 @ 8:04PM

You people defending Kyle but critizing Denny, you all a bunch of hypocrites! You can not defend what Kyle has done and yet complain on how wreckless and nasty Denny is, they both have acted like Jerks on the racetrack! Denny didnt do anything as bad as what Kyle did to Jr, but apparently you people have short term memory! I dont like what Denny did and he's an idiot, but Kyle's just as wreckless and you blind morons need to quit talking outside your ignorance!

5-25-2008 @ 11:25PM

drgrcr601 said...

One very big reason Nascar allows cup drivers in the NS is because they draw bigger crowds to the races and Sports TV is not interested in televising NS races with empty seats and without big stars. Without TV the NS cannot survive. JMO

Ron

5-26-2008 @ 12:25AM

Peaches said...

Kim I agree with you 100%. I only have one question,
Is what Junior Did the Adult thing too do and the guidance that the young Brad K. needs? Which Brad did bump Denny first? Denny retaliation did not help, but let's think about this Junior is the adult RIGHT?

5-26-2008 @ 10:48AM

Brad said...

CJ,,,,,,,what Kyle did to Jr. racing under a green flag (and a racing 'INCIDENT'), and what Denny did to Kesolowski under caution are so totally different I can't even believe your comparing the two. Now mind you I don't care for either of these two drivers but,,,,Man if your really going to use these 2 incidence as a basline for blind morons and taling outside your ignorance crap then you might need to invest in a seeing eye dog and some more education yourself.

5-26-2008 @ 8:09PM

Rod,

I think your being a bit too hard on Jeff Gordon.. You sound like a Yankees fan. A 26 World series winner and fans are always complaining. Jeff is in the same situation. He finished 4th and is 10th in the standings and has yet to win. Don't you think that's damn good for not winning a race? You can say the same for Jr.

All people are on about is Toyotas and there are spleeping Giants lurking in the standings. 31, 88, 07, 99, 29, 20, 24, 48, 16, 9. anyone of these guys can still win. Jeff being one of them... Good luck.

Go M&M 18.

5-26-2008 @ 11:27PM

Beatrice said...

If Denny is going to gripe about the lack of experience in the Nationwide series then he needs to stick to Cup.

The sponsorship thing is true; they made a comment during the qualifying of the Nationwide race that Jimmie Johnson was running the Nationwide race because it was his Cup sponsor on the car and it was the Lowe's speedway.

5-27-2008 @ 8:06AM

Well sponsorship might be a big part of it, fan support, yada, yada, yada...but that still doesn't make it right. I find it hard to believe that there aren't plenty of young men & women with talent just chomping at the bit to enter the NW series. There need to be stricter rules in place for Cup drivers in the NW series, if continued to be permitted at all.

And Peaches, I have to agree with you. Dale Jr. is the team owner and definitely should have been the "adult" in the situation. What he did was wrong, but the other two were equally at fault, too. :-)

Kim

5-27-2008 @ 8:55AM

Ron,

I have to agree with you on Nascar allowing cup drives in the NW races for the draw of the fans. We're all wathcing the NW races probably more than not because of cup drives in the series. Don't you think it adds excitement to a race? If you have a favorite NW driver you have a chance to see how he or she does against the cup drivers before he or she is actually driving for a cup team.

I have to say I like it but if it changes that would suit me fine too.

5-27-2008 @ 10:29AM

Yeah Bernie, I agree. If my favorite drivers are in the race, I will be more inclined to watch. Some Nationwide drivers complain about cup drivers in the series but many say they liked the idea because it challenges them to be better and it set a higher standard by which they were measured.

With the big name sponsers putting their money into the Nationwide Series you can bet they are making demands to Nascar that Cup drivers are in the mix to produce higher fan support in the stands and on TV. If the fans are a no show, so is the money. Maybe thats not the way it should be, but thats the way it is. JMO

Ron

5-27-2008 @ 10:52PM

Nadia said...

I would like to see them place a limit on the number of races a Cup driver can race in the Nationwide, or if the Cup driver is going for the championship in the Nationwide series they have to run every race- including the road courses.

The point of the Nationwide series is to help the racers develop their skill, and get a "star power" for the future of Nascar- well that can't happen if the Cup drivers are winning all the races and the championship every season.

5-27-2008 @ 11:16PM

Kim you right both were wrong,being they were under caution.I am like everybody else I think they should limit the races the Cup Drivers should run NW,but then probaly Ron & Bernie are right.The sponsers and it not being shown on TV would be pulled.

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